


What Happens in Budapest...

by saintnoname



Category: Marvel (Movies)
Genre: Action, Budapest, giant robot penguins, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 11:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/673814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintnoname/pseuds/saintnoname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What really happened in Budapest?  Giant robot penguins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Happens in Budapest...

“What the actual fuck?”  The words escaped Clint’s mouth before he could stop them.  He looked up at the brigade of towering black and white figures waddling toward them and wondered who had come up with that idea.  This was not what he’d expected when he took on the assignment in Budapest.

“They look like big, robot penguins,” Natasha answered, a note of apprehension in her voice that indicated she was just as confused by this as he was.

“Bossman?” Clint addressed his handler through his earpiece.  “Did  _you_  know about this?”

“I knew there was supposed to be an army of robots,” Coulson admitted.  “I did not know they would be penguin-shaped.”

“Uh huh.  Well, I wish someone would’ve told us.”

“Stop whining,” Natasha said.  “We need to come up with a strategy.

“Just do your best,” Coulson said.

“Strategize, strategize,” Clint muttered.  “Alright.  I’ll take the ones on the left, you take the ones on the right.”  He emerged from behind the car they’d been using as cover, bow ready, and loosed his arrow at the nearest penguin.

“Clint, wait!” Natasha called, then, when it was clear he wasn’t listening, muttered, “Damn it.”

“Agent Romanoff?” Coulson inquired with a barely concealed note of panic in his voice.  “What’s happening?”

“Agent Barton just ran in.”  She paused, deliberating.  “I’m going after him.”

“Negative, Agent, maintain your position.”

“He’s my  _partner_ , Coulson.”  And with that, she ran after him.  She spotted him just in time to see the blast.

 

***

 

“You realize you’ll have to write up a report, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.  You also realize you’ll be reprimanded for disobeying orders?”

“With all due respect, sir, my disobedience saved my partner’s life.”

At that, Coulson’s demeanor softened.  Clint was a big boy and could take care of himself, but every so often, he went off and did something so stupid, it scared Phil to death.  When he had tried to get hold of Clint and the man hadn’t answered, Phil would’ve gone there himself if he could have.

Coulson sat down, no longer in boss mode.  “How is he?”

“He’s doing fine.  The doctor says he could even get back to work later today, if he’s feeling up to it.”  She gave him a small, knowing smile.  “Why don’t you go see him yourself?”

Coulson wondered how much Clint had told Natasha about the nature of their relationship.  He hadn’t told anyone, but if there was one person he would trust with their secret, it was Natasha.  He gave her a small smile of his own.  “Maybe I will.  Thank you, Tasha.”

“Anytime.”  She stood and left.

Coulson sat there a moment longer before he headed to visit Clint.

 

***

 

“That was quite the stunt you pulled back there.”

Clint looked up from where he was sitting on his bed and set down his book.  “That’s easy for you to say; you weren’t there.”

Phil sat beside the man on the bed.  “No, but Tasha was, and she told me everything.”  He could have used that as an opening to ask if Clint had told her everything, but he wouldn’t accuse the man.  “That was reckless,” he reprimanded, “and you could have been really hurt.”

“I know,” Clint said in that cringing voice he always got when reprimanded.

“Good.  I wouldn’t want to lose one of my best agents.”

At that, Clint raised his brows, looking at Phil.  “One of your best agents?  Is that all you care about?”

“You know it isn’t.”  Phil wasn’t normally one to admit to worry, but he figured he could allow a moment of weakness when alone with Clint.  “You scared the piss out of me.  I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

Clint fidgeted with his hands, quiet as he looked down at them.  “I’m sorry,” he said, and this time, it sounded genuine.  This time, it didn’t sound like he was only saying it to get someone off his back.  As if to further prove this, he reached over to give Phil’s hand a brief squeeze.  There were another couple seconds of silence as they sat beside each other.

“So, who’d you replace us with?”

It was Coulson’s turn to cringe when Clint asked that question.  Clint was smart; he knew they’d put another team on the assignment over waiting for Clint to be ready to work again.  But Clint had been looking forward to this job.  Any job that involved robots turned him into a little kid—though, to be fair, it didn’t take much to turn Clint into a little kid.

“We put Agents Carter and Wilson on it.”  He gave Clint a smile.  “But I think this job might be too big for just two people.  So, if you’re feeling up to it, you and Tasha could go back out there and join them.”

Clint’s face lit up.  “I would love to.”

 

***

 

“Carter, what’s the situation up there?” Clint asked once he and Natasha were outside.

“It’s no good,” Agent Carter answered through the comm.  “Maybe you’ll have better luck down there.”

That was doubtful, given the “luck” Clint had had “down there” earlier.  Still, he began loosing arrows.  No a scratch.  Not even the explosive or acidic ones could penetrate the robots’ exteriors.  They had to be made of something tough.  But they had to have a weakness, didn’t they? 

Agent Wilson dropped Agent Carter off on a nearby rooftop before taking off again.  Natasha stood near Clint, trying everything in her arsenal to no avail.  Clint shouted to her with a grin.  “This is just like Morocco, huh?”

Natasha gave him an odd look, then she burst out laughing.  “You and I remember Morocco very differently.”

Clint chuckled himself, shaking his head.  It was then that he noticed a penguin robot life one of its wings marginally.  That could be promising.  He aimed an arrow at the spot beneath the penguin’s wing.

Bang.  The penguin toppled over.

“You guys, it’s under their wings!  Their weak spot is under their wings!”  He grinned wide, unable to believe he’d just downed a giant penguin robot with a single arrow.  He was pretty sure he was the only person in history who could say that, and he took pride in it.  He knew it was a silly thing to be proud of, but he couldn’t help himself.  If they all worked together and aimed under the wings, they could have the whole bunch down in no time.

The Falcon lifted each of the birds’ wings in turn while the others aimed for the weak spots.  As Clint predicted, it didn’t take very long once they discovered the weak spot.  He approached Natasha with a grin.  “Who would’ve thought they’d be so easy to take down?  Seriously, whoever designed these made a huge oversight.”

“They probably didn’t think we’ve be able to get under their wings.”

“Yeah, well.  They probably didn’t expect us to have the Falcon with us, huh?”  He gave the other man’s arm a playful punch.  Sam’s eyebrows rose.

“Did you hear that, Bossman?” Clint continued, addressing Phil through the comm.  “We beat ‘em!”

Clint imagined Phil shaking his head with a smile.  It was a good mental image.  “Come on.  Let’s head back.”


End file.
